EXISTENCE KEY Prelude: Volume 1
CHAPTER 1: Everian Legacy The Planet Azuran, a world emanating a wondrous cerulean glow. The most immediately noticeable trait would be that entire sections of the planet are made up of massive cities. Outside of the cities, there are cracks across the planet's crust filled with superheated blue plasma. The storms on Azuran are one of it's most well known tropes, both the planet and it's organisms have been fortified to defend against them. The planet itself is nearly as bright as a star. Azuran is home to both the human like Cobaltion Race, and the crystalline Azuranites. The Cobaltions are similar in appearance to us, with the exceptions being their blue hair, red eyes, and pale skin. The average Cobaltion is also much stronger and faster than even the most adept human. The Azuranites are luminous, muscular, and altogether alien compared to their humanoid counterparts. Although Azuranites are seen living in Cobaltion cities and territories, they are much more likely to live in their own villages. Both races are capable of manipulating plasma and electric energy, some to a much higher degree than others. '' ''The Cobaltions and Azuranites weren't the only races to inhabit Azuran. Long ago, visitors from another galaxy, known as Viritians, immigrated after their planet was destroyed. Much like the Cobaltions, the Viritians were humanoid, but unlike them, they had black hair and a slightly grayer skin tone. Viritians also had a much different culture and a different architectural style. '' ''The technology on Azuran is highly advanced, with all kinds of gadgets, vehicles that shoot across the skylines, and towering buildings. Even one city is the size of over 2000 Earths. The mountains seem to stretch upward for hundreds of miles, and the oceans plummet into abyssal chasms that haven't even been fully explored. '' ''The most prominent city on Azuran is the Ion Megaplex, home to the infamous Everian Guild, which is in turn fronted by the Everian Noble Family. The Guild protects not only the city, but all of Azuran from both home based and interstellar threats. The Everians are currently fronted by Exonus "Exilus" II, who will eventually pass leadership on to his incredibly gifted son...'EXONUS III'' Each city state had multiple social classes, ranging from working class peasants to high ranking military nobles. This was a very efficient system, and it filled every niche required for society to operate. With the abolishment of Azuran's planet wide Cobaltion Monarchy at least 20 centuries ago, the care of individual states was left to the noble families that served under the King and Queen. These noble families would often disagree with one another, and start pointless wars that raged on decades. The Everians were the only family to stand up and put an end to the madness, taking charge of the other families and the entire planet. The family would become a guild, collecting millions upon millions of followers, and blossoming into something society had never seen before. There were two sects of the Everian Guild, the Central Government, and the Noble Elites. The Central Government were the first responders to any large scale situation, but if they were incapable of subduing the enemy, that was when the Noble Elites stepped in. Anyone could join up with the CG, including peasants, Viritians, and Azuranites, but the Elites were all full blooded Cobaltions of the Everian Family, the cream of the crop. It was around midday, and the skyline over the Ion Megaplex' Central District was a radiant purple. This was unusual, because the rays of Azuran's sun, Cerulean Prime, were normally perceived as a deep blue. The very notion that the sky would be such a color attracted many wandering citizens to it's gorgeous gaze. Aside from this, the day progressed normally. Being the largest city state on the planet, it was ridiculously busy, with everyone from senior citizens to preschoolers occupied by at least or one two tasks. Walking down the steps of the enormous Everian Temple was a group of Cobaltion nobles, each of them imposing and glorious. At the center of them stood a tall man, around an impressive 7 feet. He was clad in a high tech ebony heavy armor, with glowing royal blue outlines adorning each curve and meeting at the center of his chest plate. His hair was a deep, shaggy, radiant blue, that went down to his shoulders. With commanding crimson eyes that everyone around him respected, and a muscular build that was easily the most noticeable of the group, he led with impressive resolve. This was Exonus "Exilus" Everian II, and the greatsword on his back that matched his armor, Ion, had been passed down for thousands of generations. Ion's blade was 5 feet long and 12 inches wide, with deep inlays and arrow shaped markings adorning it. The hilt had a wide, sharp curve, and the handle was encircled by ringlike marks, ending in a spear tip shape. Standing next to him was his 9 year old son, Exonus III. He was about 4 feet shorter than his father, but still had a very lean and impressive build for his age. Wearing similar armor, with slightly shorter, choppier teal blue hair overlapping the upper right half of his face, and with youthful red eyes of a similar gaze, he was very prideful and had an enormous future ahead of him. The group walked to the center of the city square. Exonus' dad was going to deliver a speech on the planetary status, and an uncountable number of people across had gathered to witness. The event was both televised and receiving radio play on every station. Exonus gave his father a puzzled look, as he hadn't witnessed him draw a crowd of this magnitude in years. '"Dad, how long is your speech going to be?" '''Exonus asked, quite curious as to why there were so many people arriving in such a short amount of time. '"As long as it needs to be. We're not here to play games right now, so just keep your head up and look sharp." 'his father replied sternly. The stage was surrounded by hundreds of guards, each clad in the same armor. Snipers were on watchtowers surrounding all sides, and there were several transport vehicles full of soldiers. Aside from Exonus and his Father, the other nobles in the group were High Commander Jade, Guard Captain Kai, and Head Admiral Toran. Jade in particular was very young, about 26 years old, achieving her rank through battle prowess alone. They stood behind his father, while Exonus stood right next to him. With his head held high, he stared into space with while his hair waved around in the breeze. His dad began speaking. '"It has come to my attention that there is an insurrection by the Ravan Nobles in the Terragryph Mountains. While this may seem like ordinary news, it is far worse." ' He continued '"I have bad news and good news regarding this situation. The Everian Guild has no right to intervene in another Noble Family's business, this decision is solely due to our sense of honor. However, if they begin to attack other cities, districts, and nations, then we have every right to defend them!" The crowd throw their fists in the air as a sign of respect, and shouted at the top of their lungs as a sign of acknowledgement. Exonus grinned, but looked away from his father so he wouldn't get yelled at again. "At this moment, they're mobilizing airships, fighters, tanks, and ground troops. They appear to be headed towards the city of Hiron, and we'll stop at nothing to defend it's people!" The crowd dismissed, and Exonus walked off the podium with his father. "Exonus, you did well today. You didn't question any orders, and you followed your teacher's directions. I'm proud of you.". Exonus smirked in response, and left to train with his instructor. While on his way to the temple, Exonus' thoughts went back to the speech. What if that noble family attacks Ion? I can't exactly skip out on training to help dad, but I also can't let the Ravans storm my home. ''He pondered about that subject and couldn't get it off his mind, it pestered him. Upon arriving, Exonus took in the sight of his family's glorious and long lived home. He was always impressed by it, and couldn't believe that he would one day take on such an important role. The entrance chamber was packed with soldiers, trainees, students, and civilians. Each one of them was either trapped in conversation, or marching in squad formation. Entering the combat prep gym, he was greeted by a tall, yet thin man. Appearing to be about 24 years old, with short and spiky hair, Thantier Aduran was a black belt martial artist and gladiator of the utmost reputation. He was easily one of the guild's top 10 fighters, up there with Exonus' Father and Jade. '"You look as if you're troubled, what's going on?" Thantier asked, as Exonus struck a fighting pose. '"Didn't you hear the news about Hiron? The Ravan family's raiding it" '''he replied. Lunging at his teacher, Exonus started out with a volley of high speed punches and kicks, but Thantier dodged his sloppy attacks with even greater speed. '"FOCUS! You can't beat your opponent by bum rushing them like that!" Exonus attacked once again, but this time with his signature sustained shock ''energy blast. Thantier evaded the lightning with no effort, and at a speed so great he seemed invisible. This irritated Exonus quite a bit, so he decided to stop holding back.... ''It was unimaginable, the speed at which he shot forth. The only thing resembling his movement was a streak of blue, held in place like static electricity. He was the first speed born in centuries. '' Finally landing hits, Exonus laughed in exhilaration as he sent his tutor flying. '"Holding back is overrated" he boasted. It wasn't over, because Thantier was just beginning to play as well. ''"I hope you like rebounds" '' With that statement, he pushed Exonus' last attack back at him. Fortunately, Exonus saw that coming. This wasn't his teacher's only trick, however. Thantier surged at Exonus with blades of raw energy, forcing him to counter with his own blade. The two exchanged blows for what seemed like hours, neither seeming to truly gain the upper hand. At last, Exonus knocked a blade from his teacher's left hand, grabbing it from behind him and holding the edge against his throat. '"Wow, you've definitely improved" '''Thantier stated, admiring his disciple's prowess. '"The only other student who could pull that off graduated last year" 'he continued. Exonus remembered that student, she was unbelievably talented. The fact that he now rivaled her in terms of skill made him the greatest student fighter in the guild. ''Meanwhile, Exonus' Father and the core commanders arrive at Hiron. '' The Ravan Military had already arrived, and they were ripping the city apart. The streets were littered with corpses, rubble and ash. It was a bloodbath, the Central Government was attempting to evacuate citizens while the Noble Elites took on the bulk of the Ravan High Army. ''The War Began There Was No Negotiating CHAPTER 2: Battle Of Hiron The smell of burning fuel and rotting flesh was nauseatingly intense, all around Hiron the sound of battle shook the streets and collapsed entire skyscrapers. Soldiers that served the Ravan Nobles raided stores and homes, murdering anyone that they encountered. Most of them wore the same fitted black armor with red markings, but the commanders displayed extra heavy armor with cycloptic visors and reversed colors (red with black markings). Some of the horrific events occurring at the time involved civilians vomiting blood and other fluids due to radiation poisoning, CG officers and lieutenants being brutally interrogated, and children crying while tightly gripping their half dead parents. There were hover tanks and military transport vehicles patrolling the streets alongside mastodonic battalions; while not more than 2,000 meters above the city, massive airships blockaded the area with swarms of gunships, fighters, bombers, and attack aerospace craft. The Noble Elites had just recently arrived to fend off the raiding forces, and like their enemies, they were also armed to the teeth. The game changing factor, however, was the presence of Exilus. He had brought out all of the stops in order to end the battle as quickly and efficiently as possible. As always, standing right beside him was Commander Jade, her loyalty unwavering. '''"Dear Gods, what have they done?!" Exilus asked himself, shocked and exasperated. "Jade, have your troops split up and scout the south, east and west sectors, I've got the north" he ordered. Charging towards the enemy, his helmet shrouded itself over his head, producing a blue glow from it's eyes. Exilus unsheathed Ion, and cut through large waves of troops. Because of its plasmic edges and tip, Ion melted through the armor and flesh of its victims. Some of the Elites that followed him used their jump packs to leap over buildings and shoot down the battalions from above, assisting Exilus to carve a path for his followers. Not holding back, he used the energy inside of him to charge himself, visibly emitting lively blue electricity all over the outside of his body. (Cobaltions, as well as Azuranites, have the ability to "charge". This means that they can use the electricity inside of or around them to increase their power. The more they charge, more electricity will surround them, and their power will increase. It's effect is far more powerful for certain individuals than others.). '' Not too far away, Jade had begun her own assault. Her gorgeous deep purple hair was a rare trait among Cobaltions, and it truly made her stand out among her brothers and sisters. She unsheathed an energy blade; it was one handed, perfect for her agile fighting style. Jade noticed that there was a much smaller concentration of foes in her vicinity. This could mean only one thing, she was behind enemy lines. Leaving the majority of her troops under the command of a Major, she took a squad of four elites into the heart of the city. The Ravans had it locked down tight at the city square. There were tanks at the end of every block, and the sky above was shrouded by the presence of the flagship ''Evercrimson. Directly in the middle of a clustered battalion was the Field Commander, Emerion Tygon. The man was branding the same armor as typical of a Ravan Commander, except for a blue marking that symbolized his rank. He had tactical command of the forces in Hiron, and he wasn't going to let the Everians soil his progress. Emerion was a veteran of many battles, and was an old, experienced combatant. Unfortunately for him, there was a crippling flaw in his strategy; Exilus was serving as a distraction. This was significant because he was the most renowned of the opponents, and 75% of Tygon's ground forces were tasked with fighting him. Meanwhile, clever Jade was preparing an ambush. "What an idiot, he's leaving himself exposed to our entire invasion force! If I wanted to, I could just order the fleet to erase him!" 'Emerion exclaimed, annoyed. He couldn't comprehend Exilus' seeming stupidity. '"Reves forbid he attempts to rush me." '''he thought to himself. Suddenly, thousands of soldiers were either incinerated or thrown hundreds of feet in the air. A blast of lightning almost hit Tygon, had he not ducked. Just a few hundred meters away, Exilus wasn't only slicing through the opposing units, he was ''carving through tanks. This wasn't an ordinary man, it couldn't be. Those were tanks that could withstand most airstrikes, and they were being sliced apart by a man with a sword. ''"DO SOMETHING YOU FOOLS!" the High Army Leader screamed, almost fearing for his own safety. Within a few seconds, the entire barricade had been destroyed, and Exilus stood a mere 20 feet in front of Emerion's command post. Regaining his composure, he signaled for his guards to stand down. '"I'd like to congratulate you for making it this far" '''Emerion started '"But you're caught in my web, little fly.". Exilus smiled at his opponent's overconfident comment, he know the outcome was truly in his favor. "Kill Him" 'Tygon ordered to his shock troops, as they moved in on their target. On the rooftops above, Jade got into position. Ordering her teammates via hand signals, she sprung the trap. The seemingly captured Everian officers attacked their captors and shot them down, followed by Jade herself joining in with her forces. Emerion called in several airstrikes, but Exilus was already on it. He charged himself just enough to outspeed the attack craft, and cut through them one at a time. Calling for his legion's AA tanks to take out the remaining aircraft, he charged his power to the point where the entire city was quaking from it. Launching himself towards Emerion at high speed, he hit him with a left hook so hard that his helmet shattered to pieces. Getting back up, the Ravan Commander spat out a spray of deep red blood. His hair was a fading silver, and his left eye was missing, covered with a ghostly scar. He gave Exilus a look of hatred and malice, and began charging his own pale blue energy. The two warriors surged towards each other, colliding with a fiery exchange of blows. There was static and stray lightning flying across the vicinity, incinerating buildings, vehicles, and soldiers. While Field Commander Tygon was certainly a fearsome opponent, he was no match for Exilus. Being ''much ''faster, Exilus was able to foresee Emerion's every attack, and counter accordingly. Delivering a huge uppercut to the stomach, which shattered ribs and ruptured organs, Exilus ended the quick duel. Coughing up even more blood, Tygon fell to the ground. '"Damn it, not now" 'he said to himself through gritted teeth. '"All Ravan forces across Hiron, stand down" 'was his last order. His lieutenants looked especially surprised, mostly due to the fact that their leader was so incompetent. One of the lieutenants stepped forward, shaking his head in disappointment at the sight of his broken superior. '"You have no right to be called a Commander, I'm disgusted" he continued. Looking up at Exilus, he removed his helmet. His hair was medium length and parted, a borderline purple; his eyes were wine red. "Greetings, Exilus of the Everian Guild, I am Miran Ravan" ' Jade and her squadron walked up to join Exilus, weapons drawn. It was a very tense moment. '"I think we've done enough here, it's time to leave" 'Miran concluded, and with that, the Ravan forces began to recede. Airships flew off, tanks reversed, and the last soldiers climbed aboard military transports. '"So much for a real battle" 'Jade added, feeling incredibly disappointed. '"This is very ''bad, Jade. They won't stop here, it's going to get worse, ''a lot worse." 'Exilus finalized. With that, they ordered the CG to help out affected families, and escort them away from the city. ''A Facade, A False Front It Was Just Beginning CHAPTER 3: First Venture Exonus had just arrived home from his vigorous training sessions, but he was still full of energy. It was like he never drained himself, there was no such thing as overexertion to him. His father's castle was almost as massive as the Everian Temple, but built just for the noble family. The front yard was monolithic, a neat and collected display of glory much like the temple's lobby. There were statues of his ancestors lined up across from each other, each with a different pose reflecting their personalities and feats. These statues led up to a large replica of Retrion, the founder of the guild and Azuran's greatest hero. He wore carved armor and a helm that covered his entire head, leaving only slits for his eyes to peer through. The design was similar to his father's own armor and helm, but made of older, possibly even stronger materials. Walking through the main doors and removing his boots, Exonus headed upstairs. There was a large portrait of his father at the base of the staircase, and multiple decorations reflecting his family's legacy. The floor upstairs was much more comfortable than the polished crystal below; a refined carpet that was perfect for pretty much everything. Preparing himself for his next quest, he fixed himself a quick meal; honey glazed fish with star berries. The only other person inhabiting the building besides Exonus was his twin sister, Rina. She was as typical as they came, very annoying, yet irreplaceable. Her hair has a shimmering cyan, with pigtails that went down to her elbows, and bangs covering her right eye (much like Exonus' bangs); her eyes were a lustrous cherry red. She wore a lolita style dress with knee high boots and a black bow tie. She greeted him with an obnoxious '''"I MISSED YOU SOOOO MUCH!", receiving an eye roll from her brother. "Hey, Rina" 'was his simple reply, as he walked right past her and into his bedroom. Locking the door behind him and producing static around the frame, he blocked out his sibling's abnormally disconcerting '"You're so mean, I'm telling Dad!" rant. "To even begin to try and live with her" ''Exonus thought to himself. He cleaned the grime off of his armor, and buffed out several scratches made by Thantier's blades. While the armor itself was very strong and resilient, it wasn't on the same level as his father's. He didn't care; the teal carvings and crystal chest stone were incredible on the eyes. His armor was much lighter than his father's; fit for his age. Exonus left his armor on his desktop, replacing it with normal attire. This included a black and white plaid jacket, black skinny jeans, and b&w sneakers. He opened the door, checking to make sure his sister was gone. Fortunately, she had left the hallway; he was grateful. Running downstairs and outside, he made his way to the backyard. It was gorgeous out, and the sky had regained its normal hue. The yard was well maintained, and the air was fresh with neutrality. Around 250 acres wide, the Everian Manor's yard was absolutely stunning. Exonus waited for a dropship to arrive; he was going to assist a local Azuranite tribe in fending off Storm Hornets. A dull drone could be heard, it slowly got louder until the wind around Exonus was creating a small cyclone. It had arrived, and was full of Central Government forces. The dropship was about the size of a small cathedral, and could carry up to 200 soldiers on board. Landing on an open patch of grass, the airliner sized transport vessel's engines were disengaged. Out stepped Guard Captain Kai, the heavily armored soldier who accompanied Exonus during his father's speech. Kai was a very quiet man, never speaking unless it was absolutely necessary. His armor obscured any recognizable facial features, aside from his piercing crimson eyes. Walking over to Exonus, Kai spoke for a brief moment; '"We've just received word from the Azuranites, the hornets are coming at them en masse"'. '"I've never liked those bugs, they always attack the moment they see anyone" '''Exonus replied to his silent guardian. Whilst walking inside the sleek transport, he failed to notice a familiar figure entering through the airlock. The ship roared to life, once again engaging it's thrusters and shooting across the skyline. Inside of the ship's cargo hold, Rina had stowed herself away; she wouldn't be left out again. Climbing a ladder and opening the door that lead to a secondary passenger section, she seated herself. Rina was completely in the dark on what she would be encountering. Arriving at the small village, Exonus noticed that the hornets were already being pushed back by Azuranite forces. The crystalline warriors were powerful and hulking, easily capable of crushing the 2 foot insects with their bare hands. Kai brought out a fumigation squadron; these soldiers wore thick padded armor, armed with both flamethrowers and cattle prods. Charging into battle, he unsheathed a two handed battle axe, having plasmic edges similar to those of Ion. Cutting through swathes of hornets, he sent legs, heads, wings, and torsos flying across the battlefield. Exonus could finally cut loose. He didn't need any weaponry, only his natural abilities. Charging himself as much as possible, he caused more than one avalanche of rocks to crush the bugs standing in his way. Storming forth at high speed, he punched and kicked through the creatures; their chitin armor cracked apart like plastic. While he was fighting, a large hurricane of lightning surrounding his every movement. CHAPTER 4: Ion Megaplex CHAPTER 5: Ravan High Fortress CHAPTER 6: Raiva CHAPTER 7: Jakk, Lord of Ravan CHAPTER 8: Terragryph Raid CHAPTER 9: Unison CHAPTER 10: Open Arms CHAPTER 11: Catacombs of Gryphtus CHAPTER 12: Retrieving the Idol CHAPTER 13: Secrets Unfold Category:Web Novel